Creativity – Michael Angier | Practical Success Philosophyhttp://successnet.org/blog
Helping Great People Become Even BetterSun, 05 Jun 2016 14:20:57 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.4How Do You Think?http://successnet.org/blog/how-do-you-think/
http://successnet.org/blog/how-do-you-think/#respondFri, 02 Nov 2012 13:59:43 +0000http://successnet.org/blog/index.php/?p=698People often ask others what they think about various things. But what someone thinks about something isn’t really thinking. We all have thoughts, opinions and viewpoints. We reflect on things that have happened and speculate on what may happen. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But having thoughts is not thinking. I think (pun intended) […]

]]>People often ask others what they think about various things. But what someone thinks about something isn’t really thinking. We all have thoughts, opinions and viewpoints. We reflect on things that have happened and speculate on what may happen. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

But having thoughts is not thinking. I think (pun intended) that real thinking involves asking questions. It requires us to ponder, to weigh various options, to connect things that weren’t connected before and ultimately to make choices based on our thinking.

So how do YOU think? What processes do you use? How do you test and clarify your thinking? Do you write things out? Do you discuss them with others? Do you test and question your own premises?

Metathinking is thinking about what we’re thinking about. And my sense is it’s rare that we do much of that.

I believe that our minds are better designed for critical thinking than they are as a filing cabinet. And yet our educational system seems more focused on information than on processing that information. I moved around a lot in my younger years and perhaps I missed the class, but nowhere in my formal education was a course on critical thinking. I don’t remember much discussion at all about how to think effectively.

With the vast universe of knowledge expanding as rapidly as it is and with entire industries being born and dying within a generation, this seems like kind of a no-brainer to me.

So the question remains. How do you think? And how much time do you actually spend thinking?

Do successful people think differently than unsuccessful people? Does it take a high IQ to think clearly, interpret accurately and evaluate with discernment?

What role does common sense play? How do we know when our facts are inaccurate or incomplete?

Do you consider yourself a good thinker? Do you solve problems effectively? Do you feel clear or muddled most of the time?

Can we LEARN to think better? It seems logical to me that we can.

But unless we ask the question, unless we think about what we’re thinking about, and unless we have a desire to improve our capacity to think more critically, it’s unlikely that we will.

I’m planning to write a book on successful thinking. And as I research the subject over the next few months, I will share with you what I find. I’ll share what I’m thinking and what I’m thinking about.

]]>http://successnet.org/blog/how-do-you-think/feed/0If You Ever Wanted to Write and Publish a Book . . .http://successnet.org/blog/if-you-ever-wanted-to-write-and-publish-a-book/
http://successnet.org/blog/if-you-ever-wanted-to-write-and-publish-a-book/#respondWed, 18 Jul 2012 16:52:48 +0000http://successnet.org/blog/index.php/?p=607. . . there’s never been a better time. And I’ll tell you why. SuccessNet has just published its fourth printed book. In addition, we’ve published dozens of eBooks and have eight current Kindle books available. One of them is even about HOW to publish a Kindle book. Without a doubt, this latest book, The […]

SuccessNet has just published its fourth printed book. In addition, we’ve published dozens of eBooks and have eight current Kindle books available. One of them is even about HOW to publish a Kindle book.

Without a doubt, this latest book, The Achievement Code, was the easiest, fastest and most economical to produce and publish. And the reason is that we used Amazon’s CreateSpace.com to do it.

And you can, too. CreateSpace has made it easier than ever to publish your book at virtually no cost. Our only out-of-pocket cost to CreateSpace was $25 for an extended distribution service.

We did almost everything in-house. We designed the cover, and Dawn formatted the book, copy edited my work and proofed it. We did hire an outside proof reader, but they found only a handful of things we opted to change.

You may not have some of these skills yourself, so you might spend a few hundred dollars on these services. But for all practical purposes, you can get your book published without spending any—or very little—money. And that’s a far cry from the way things used to be. In addition, you can have it on Amazon—one of the largest sellers and search engines in the world!

If you are someone who wants to influence others or you have a business or organization you would like to promote, there is no better way than to begin to establish yourself as a trusted authority in your field. Saying you are a published author and handing your book to a prospect is head and shoulders above giving them a business card.

Over the past two months, we’ve had several members and subscribers ask us about teaching them how to write and publish a book. If you would be interested in such a course, please eMail us with MY BOOK in the subject line. If there is enough interest, we will certainly consider creating such a training.

In the meantime, we’re happy to recommend The Instant Author System by Mike Litman and Bill Quain on how you can discover the secrets to becoming a published author in as little as 27 days and for as little as $25.

Combined, Mike and Bill have published 19 books and sold over 2,100,000 copies, including one #1 best-selling book.

And for the next 48 hours, you can get all their self-publishing secrets for 72% off.

]]>http://successnet.org/blog/if-you-ever-wanted-to-write-and-publish-a-book/feed/0Moneyball: A New Approach to an Old Gamehttp://successnet.org/blog/moneyball-a-new-approach-to-an-old-game/
http://successnet.org/blog/moneyball-a-new-approach-to-an-old-game/#respondFri, 16 Mar 2012 16:46:13 +0000http://successnet.org/blog/index.php/?p=530Dawn and I watched the Moneyball DVD recently, starring Brad Pitt. We found it not only entertaining but also educational. The film was based on a book by Michael Lewis: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. It opens with a great quote from Mickey Mantle: “It’s unbelievable how much you don’t know about […]

]]>Dawn and I watched the Moneyball DVD recently, starring Brad Pitt. We found it not only entertaining but also educational.

The film was based on a book by Michael Lewis: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. It opens with a great quote from Mickey Mantle: “It’s unbelievable how much you don’t know about the game you’ve been playing all your life.”

The movie is a captivating story about the phenomenal rise of the Oakland Athletics in 2002 that forever changed the course of baseball. They started by redefining the problem of a low-budget team and asking different questions.

There’s a lot more to the story, and I don’t mean to oversimplify it or spoil it for you if you haven’t seen it. But the approach they took can teach us a lot in terms of how we approach the problems and opportunities of business and life.

How we define a problem makes a substantial difference in how we solve it—or IF we solve it. Define it differently and we solve it differently. Ask different questions and you get different answers.

]]>http://successnet.org/blog/moneyball-a-new-approach-to-an-old-game/feed/0We Teach Best What We Need to Learnhttp://successnet.org/blog/we-teach-best-what-we-need-to-learn/
http://successnet.org/blog/we-teach-best-what-we-need-to-learn/#respondFri, 10 Feb 2012 08:19:10 +0000http://successnet.org/blog/index.php/?p=495Our theme for this month is Focus and Concentration. And one of the things we all need to focus on is increasing our knowledge and improving our skills. Investing in personal and professional development has lifelong pay-offs. I believe that one of the best ways of learning and integrating knowledge is to teach it. When […]

]]>Our theme for this month is Focus and Concentration. And one of the things we all need to focus on is increasing our knowledge and improving our skills. Investing in personal and professional development has lifelong pay-offs.

I believe that one of the best ways of learning and integrating knowledge is to teach it. When you organize and deliver information, you learn it at a much deeper level.

It’s one of life’s better deals: What knowledge we give away we get to keep. And with spaced repetition, we get to own it even more than when we first acquired it because it penetrates deeper into our psyche, and our brain makes more connections.

In the last year, eBook readers like Kindle and Nook have been selling like crazy. You can also get free readers for your computer, your tablet and your smart phone.

As publishers and authors, it became evident we needed to learn how to best format our books and reports, and make them available via Amazon Kindle and ePub format. And we’re pleased to announce that we have several SuccessNet SmartGuide now published.

Our latest SmartGuide is How to Publish and Sell Your Book on Amazon Kindle: Free, Fast and Easy. Using this simple guide, you can make your books (or reports) available to millions through the power of Amazon.

We researched all the best practices and now we can show YOU how to publish and sell with this easy, simple and quick-to-grasp SmartGuide. We took the complex and made it simple. We organized, encapsulated and systematized the best ways for you to format and sell your intellectual capital on Amazon.

And of course, you can always join The Achievement Code or Diamond Club and this SmartGuide will be available to you, along with hundreds of other products, resources and services—all at no additional cost.

]]>http://successnet.org/blog/we-teach-best-what-we-need-to-learn/feed/0I Remember Oh So Well . . .http://successnet.org/blog/406/
http://successnet.org/blog/406/#respondWed, 03 Aug 2011 12:27:13 +0000http://successnet.org/blog/index.php/?p=406The UPS truck arrived later than I had hoped it would. I was anxiously awaiting the several boxes they were delivering and I knew what was in those boxes. It was something I’d been working on for months. I knew exactly what they would look like. But opening the first box and removing the first […]

]]>http://successnet.org/blog/406/feed/0Prosperity is Attracted by Order, Tranquility and Clarity.http://successnet.org/blog/prosperity-is-attracted-by-order-tranquility-and-clarity/
http://successnet.org/blog/prosperity-is-attracted-by-order-tranquility-and-clarity/#commentsTue, 07 Jun 2011 14:08:36 +0000http://successnet.org/blog/index.php/?p=384Prosperity is Attracted by Order, Tranquility and Clarity. And it’s repelled by chaos, clutter and confusion. Money and wealth seem to avoid drama, confusion and chaos but is attracted to a well-ordered existence. If you wanted to invest your money with someone, would you want to invest with someone who was tranquil, organized and level-headed? […]

Money and wealth seem to avoid drama, confusion and chaos but is attracted to a well-ordered existence.

If you wanted to invest your money with someone, would you want to invest with someone who was tranquil, organized and level-headed? Or would you want to fix your future on someone who was running around, screaming and shouting, with their life and business in disarray?

]]>http://successnet.org/blog/prosperity-is-attracted-by-order-tranquility-and-clarity/feed/3Step Back to Gain Perspectivehttp://successnet.org/blog/step-back-to-gain-perspective/
http://successnet.org/blog/step-back-to-gain-perspective/#respondWed, 18 May 2011 11:42:26 +0000http://successnet.org/blog/index.php/?p=369It’s been said that life is lived forward and only understood backward. I’m not sure if that’s entirely true, but I do know that things sure look different a month, a year or a decade after the fact. As I enter into the final days of my 60th trip around the sun, I realize I […]

]]>It’s been said that life is lived forward and only understood backward. I’m not sure if that’s entirely true, but I do know that things sure look different a month, a year or a decade after the fact.

As I enter into the final days of my 60th trip around the sun, I realize I have a much different perspective on things that have happened over the years.

Even if you haven’t been around as long as I have, I’m sure you’ll agree that many events that seemed like a big deal weren’t, while other, seemingly insignificant things, turned out to be substantial. “Disasters” often became blessings and what we thought at the time was something good may have turned out to be not so much.

When we’re in the midst of things—when life is happening—it’s challenging to always see the big picture. It’s not easy to understand, to be fully aware and have the insight that comes from looking back.

In every business I’ve owned, in every relationship I’ve ever been in, there’s one common thing I would have done more of. I would have stepped back more often, taken more time off and gotten away from the busy-ness of things.

We often need to get away in order to see things clearly. We need to step back, take a break or see things with a fresh set of eyes.

Be sure that you’re taking time off on a regular basis. And I suggest planning part of that time off for reflection and introspection. Ask yourself questions. Journal about what’s happened—and your thoughts and feelings around them.

Having a MasterMind Team like our Diamond Club and Inner Circle is a big help in improving our perspective. And the process we use of reporting to one another with “what worked, what didn’t and what’s next,” goes a long way toward having a healthy reflection and positive and productive plans and expectations.

Of course you can do this on a regular basis without going away, and I certainly encourage you to that.

But in my opinion, getting away is best. There’s something about a different environment, away from the routine and maybe with new people, that provides the fresh outlook, the different viewpoint and the elevated clarity getting away from it all creates.

And that’s why Practical SuccessNet Principle #6 is Step Back to Gain Perspective.

And a very helpful resource in support of this and our other SuccessNet Principles is our Step Up to Success Course. It’s a Success 101 course that covers the basics which we all need to work on.

If you don’t already have it, you’ll definitely want it as part of your success library.

]]>http://successnet.org/blog/step-back-to-gain-perspective/feed/0One of My Most Admired People in Historyhttp://successnet.org/blog/one-of-my-most-admired-people-in-history/
http://successnet.org/blog/one-of-my-most-admired-people-in-history/#commentsSat, 18 Dec 2010 15:31:07 +0000http://successnet.org/blog/index.php/?p=245I read Thomas Jefferson’s biography when I was only 9 years old. And I’ve been inspired by his life ever since. I’ve visited his beloved Monticello in Virginia twice. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it. He was remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped. At 5, began studying […]

I read Thomas Jefferson’s biography when I was only 9 years old. And I’ve been inspired by his life ever since.

I’ve visited his beloved Monticello in Virginia twice. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it.

He was remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped.

At 5, began studying under his cousin’s tutor.

At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.

At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.

At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.

At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.

At 23, started his own law practice.

At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.

At 31, wrote the widely circulated “Summary View of the Rights of British America”.

At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.

At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.

At 33, took three years to revise Virginia’s legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.

At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.

At 40, served in Congress for two years.

At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties.

At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.

At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.

At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party.

At 57, was elected the third president of the United States.

At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation’s size.

At 61, was elected to a second term as President.

At 65, retired to Monticello.

At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.

At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.

At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence along with John Adams

Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today. Jefferson really knew his stuff.

John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the white House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement: “This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”

Here are some of Jefferson’s more notable quotes:

When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.

If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property—until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.

Just some of the reasons Jefferson has had my admiration for so many years.

]]>http://successnet.org/blog/one-of-my-most-admired-people-in-history/feed/1An Invitation to MasterMind with Me Personallyhttp://successnet.org/blog/an-invitation-to-mastermind-with-me-personally/
http://successnet.org/blog/an-invitation-to-mastermind-with-me-personally/#respondTue, 26 Jan 2010 16:24:08 +0000http://successnet.org/blog/index.php/?p=99In just the past few days, 3 different people asked me to to offer a personal mastermind program. This is in addition to our Diamond Club MasterMind. They told me they wanted more of me—specifically to master mind with me and have me personally mentor them to create breakthroughs—in their lives and in their businesses. That’s […]

And don’t delay. The last time I did something like this, it filled up in less than 48 hours.

PS: This year we’re going to build a social network for Authentic Entrepreneurs. I also plan to write a book and launch several other exciting projects. As part of my Inner Circle Master Mind, I will let you behind the curtain as we create these programs. I will share what works and what doesn’t—and you will learn a lot.Be part of the journey, maybe even partner with me as we MasterMind our way to the next level in our respective businesses. It’ll be fun.

]]>http://successnet.org/blog/an-invitation-to-mastermind-with-me-personally/feed/0“So Let it Be Written, So Let it Be Done.”http://successnet.org/blog/%e2%80%9cso-let-it-be-written-so-let-it-be-done%e2%80%9d/
http://successnet.org/blog/%e2%80%9cso-let-it-be-written-so-let-it-be-done%e2%80%9d/#respondMon, 24 Mar 2008 17:11:57 +0000http://successnet.org/blog/index.php/?p=57If you’ve ever watched the movie, ‘The Ten Commandments,” the quote above should be familiar. It was what Yul Brynner said as the Pharaoh Rameses II when he issued an important command. The order was given, it was written down and it was to be done. The Pharaoh ruled—literally. I thought of Rameses’ command recently […]

It was what Yul Brynner said as the PharaohRameses II when he issued an important command. The order was given, it was written down and it was to be done. The Pharaoh ruled—literally.

I thought of Rameses’ command recently when I wrote something down and within 72 hours it had come to pass.

We could say it was a coincidence except that it happens all the time. Our intention and our writing is part of the creation and manifestation process.

A friend of mine just showed me an affirmation he created when he was fearful of losing an important client. On an index card he wrote. “I am so happy and grateful now that Mr. “X” has renewed his commitment for another year.” Within two days, the renewal was made and check received.

Well, you’ll hear more about it in the weeks ahead, but I can tell you part of the story now.

It started when I did a Diamond Club Training call on the importance and the art of networking. A short while later, I had Larry Benet, “The Connector” do a teleseminar on the same subject.

I really do try to practice what I preach, so I was updating my Top 20 List of people I am connected to as well as my Top 20 List of people to whom I would like to be connected. It was this second list to which I added the name of Michael Gerber.

Most of you are no doubt familiar with the founder of E-Myth Worldwide and author of several E-Myth books. Michael is one of my favorite business authors and his work has had a profound influence on my own. I have long wanted to meet him and develop a relationship with him, but I had never written it down.

Through an interesting sequence of events that would take a long while to tell you, and due to some very fortuitous connections, I now find myself registered for Gerber’s Dreaming Room (a new program he’s created that I was anxious to attend) at a very favorable rate.

So on April 25 and continuing through April 27, I will be working with “Mr. E-Myth” in The Dreaming Room in San Diego.

I highly recommend his new book, Awakening the Entrepreneur Within. It is all about his latest endeavor and how it will change the shape of entrepreneurship (my words, not his).

When I come back, I’ll be able to tell you more about the Dreaming Room from my own experience. I have a feeling that I and SuccessNet will never be the same.

If you’d like to find out about The Dreaming Room now, you can get a free recording from Michael Gerber that explains it here. It’s quite eye-opening to say the least.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p class=”MsoNormal”&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;When I come back, I’ll be able to tell you more about the Dreaming Room from my own experience. I have a feeling that I and SuccessNet will never be the same.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p class=”MsoNormal”&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;If you’d like to find out about The Dreaming Room now, you can get a free recording from Michael Gerber that explains it &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a xhref=”http://successnet.org/recommends/dreaming/” mce_href=”http://successnet.org/recommends/dreaming/” &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;here&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;. It’s quite eye-opening to say the least.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p class=”MsoNormal”&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Make it a great day!&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;